April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. However, communities can celebrate great childhoods all year-round! Helping Services for Youth & Families, along with the HAWC area Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) encourage all to play a role in making our communities a better place for children and families.
Blue pinwheels have become the symbol for Child Abuse Prevention. Throughout April, you may see blue pinwheels at courthouses, banks, and libraries. These pinwheels are not meant to signify the number of child abuse cases in the area, but rather to serve as a reminder of the great childhoods we want for our children. If you would like to display pinwheels at your organization or business, either on your lawn or as a pinwheel “bouquet” please email us at info@helpingservices.org.
This year’s theme for Child Abuse Prevention Month is, “Do More of What You Love to Create #GreatChildhoods”. We invite families to spend more time doing what they love at any of our four events we are hosting in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month:
April 4th – 2nd Annual Family Roller Skating Night from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Chester Community Center
April 11th – Family Carnival Night from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm at the Waukon Middle School Gym
April 25th – Family Roller Skating Night from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at Jewel Skate Country, Decorah
April 26th – 4th Annual “Spare a Night to Strike Against Child Abuse” Family Bowling Night from 5:30-8:30 pm at C.J. Lanes, Elkader
Events are free and open to families and caregivers with children of all ages. We do ask that all children are accompanied by an adult, as our goal with these events is to promote positive and meaningful connections between kids and caring adults.
We encourage community members, non-profits, and businesses to post a picture of themselves or of their employees wearing blue on Friday, April 5th, which has been designated as #WearBlueDay. Wear blue to show your support for #GreatChildhoods! Feel free to tag Helping Services in your posts so we can share them on our Facebook page!
For more information on how you can get involved with CPPC, details about upcoming events, or if your business or organization would like pinwheels, please contact at shenkelman@helpingservices.org or 563-387-1720.
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